I am a huge advocate on the clean, neat, and to the point websites and was happy to find a Realtor that shared this view with me. For this article we chose to meet up with Coal Harbour Realtor, and devoted family man, Shaun Kimmins.

Shaun practices simplification not only on his Ubertor site but also in other aspects of his business. His strategy when it comes to Real Estate is specialization, focusing on one area and becoming an expert. For many the idea of becoming a niche realtor implies limiting yourself to a smaller market but Shaun explains the value behind niche realty and how it has brought him success.

We were able to catch up with Shaun in his hood (Coal Harbour) to learn a little bit more about his journey through Real Estate and the roles that simplification, specialization and “niche-ness” played in the process.

What made you decide to be a niche Realtor?

I have been niche since the very beginning, I believe in specialization. It seemed like a natural progression since I already lived in the area and I’m not the kind of person that likes to spend too much time in the car, it made me more efficient in how I conducted my business. I could see the potential in the area, and as Coal Harbour grew I became increasingly familiar with the landscape.

Tell us about how you got started in Real Estate?

I started in Real Estate about 11 years ago, at that time I was already living in Coal Harbour. My career mentor encouraged me to strive towards specialization. This way I would be able to offer the best service to our clients because I would know first hand what it’s like to live here – I have seen building after building go up. I should also mention that it’s less work because I don’t have to familiarize myself with an area every time I post a listing.

Would you say that presenting yourself as niche, as an expert of one area, is your main marketing strategy?

Specialization and my niche website have definitely been one important component as to how I market myself. The second component would be that I opened my own retail office here in Coal Harbour over two years ago. The idea for this came from the observation of pedestrian traffic patterns.

Most people who would buy in Coal Harbour walk the sea wall, as do all the residents. Opening up a retail office in the area gave me great exposure to both potential buyers and sellers.

How do you use your websites to your greatest advantage?

There was a point where I had several websites. I always had a Coal Harbour one but then I added others, mapping out specific areas of the city, but eventually I realized that the simpler, the better and now I just stick to my original website. I purposefully made the website very simple. It shows who I am, what I do, my listings and contact information.

People remember simple and usually won’t take the time to browse around complicated websites. If you look at the sites of the heavy hitters in the city you will notice that their sites are very simple too.

You have to make sure that your website appeals to your target demographic. It’s so important to think about who you want on your site and who you want to sell to and base your site on that. You can’t be all things to all people.

What advice would you give to new realtors looking to make it big in the industry?

First of all I think it’s crucial to manage your expectations, don’t expect things to happen right away. Have at least six months of financial backing because it takes time to become successful, it’s a learning process.

Maybe start small by managing your marketing and reaching out to the same 1,000 people 10 times instead of 10,000 people one time. My second piece of advice would be to try and identify what your niche is and understand all the different facets to it. A common misconception that people have starting off is that specialization limits you, if done right, in my opinion it helps you.

What changes and/or adaptations do you see in the future for the Real Estate industry? How do you think technology will affect it?

While I think that print advertising today is still a useful and relevant tool, it might disappear when the millennials begin to buy homes. Increased digitalization might also diminish the role of the buyer’s agent since online listings offer most of the information people think they need to know.

I also think, however, that role of the Realtor will not become irrelevant as digitalization takes over. There is so much that goes into purchasing a propery, so much legal work. There are too many components and it’s coo complex to simply buy a home with the click of a button.

What is the most rewarding aspect about being a Realtor?

I would have to say that it’s the people I meet. In this job I meet so many interesting and accomplished people who have jet set lifestyles and fascinating perspectives. If I get the chance I like to just sit down with my clients and listen to their stories.

I also really enjoy the adrenaline rush that comes along with getting deals done, closing a sale is challenging yet exciting.

And that concluded our coffee with Shaun. As you can tell, Shaun’s message is clear – specialize, and focus on it. Become the expert, and be of value to your specific buyers.

Our team at Ubertor would like to thank Shaun for taking the time to meet up with us and share his experiences and advice on Real Estate and what it takes to be successful in the business.

If you would like to share your personal insight or business perspectives (or both) and would like us to feature you in one of our Realtor Spotlight interviews, don’t be shy and let us know – we’d love to meet and learn from you!

We had the opportunity to sit down with the accomplished and distinctive downtown Vancouver realtor, an Ubertor client and friend for over 7 years (many of you may know Ian from his video blogs).

We were fortunate enough to learn about the philosophies and strategies that have helped him get to this point and have contributed to both his professional and personal success. We wanted to know how his use of niche websites helped Ian establish an identity in the market and his general thoughts about the industry today and going forward.

What aspects about being in real estate do you enjoy the most?

Over the last 10 years I still really enjoy meeting the people that I work with, my clients are all different and interesting, and they tend not to fit a certain compartment. They look for me because I don’t fit the usual real estate mold. Ultimately it doesn’t matter what you look like as long as you can deliver.

How have you used websites as a marketing venue to enhance your business?

There are 11,000 realtors just in Metro Vancouver, it’s important to standout and websites can do that for you. Your website has to prove why they should choose you amongst the rest, like a dating site or a resume. I have six different websites. I like to have fun with them, for me it’s about being creative.  The problem is that people treat their websites like a brochure, once it’s up they don’t go back to look at it. If you don’t spend 15 minutes on your site no one else will.

You seem to have a great handle on focusing on niches and have been quite successful up to this point. How have niche websites worked for you?

When potential buyers go on Google most of the time they won’t type in your name, but keywords, specific to what they are looking for. I found that narrowing down the options has better results for people. People are looking for experts. Find your niche, who, what, where you want your focus to be and stick to it. Don’t try to be everything to everybody, be something to somebody.

Do you have any up-and-coming business projects you are tackling?

I am not looking to grow my business. I want a simple life and I’ve created a systems that allow me not to chase business. I work 5 hours a day, still enjoy what I do, but giving myself enough time to find balance amongst the other aspects in my life. If I want to earn double as much I’d have to work double as much and that’s just the reality of it.

I’m actually writing a book that tackles these issues. It’s targeted toward high-producing professionals, who may have lost sight of other, more important things in life. For me happiness is about finding balance between family, finance, mental health, physical health and community. I want to teach these people how to enjoy life again without sacrificing the financial aspect but rather compromising and making room for other things.

How do you see the real estate market changing in the next decade?

I think that when the baby-boomer generation, the people with a big houses in west van, pass away, their money and properties will pass on to their children. This huge transfer of wealth could mean a rise in buy and selling of large properties.

Any words of advice for new realtors?

Most successful people I know have systems in place, a routine. I would advise new comers to start creating systems for themselves. When it comes to digital marketing, I would say pick 3-4 words that you want to be found for in Google. Think about why would people look for you? What questions do they want answered and dedicate your time to make your website the answer to these questions.

And there you have it, a bit of everything to take away, from business, to marketing to your personal life, Ian Watt has answers.

Our team at Ubertor would like to thank Ian for taking the time to meet up with us and candidly share his stories and advice.

If you would like to share your personal insight or business perspectives (or both) and would like us to feature you in one of our Realtor Spotlight interviews, don’t be shy and let us know – we’d love to meet and learn from you!